First-choice frontman Christian Benteke’s prolific goalscoring form has “quelled the noises” about Darren Bent’s backseat role at Villa.

That is the verdict of former claret and blue defender Ugo Ehiogu, who has been extremely impressed by the Belgian international’s impact in his first season at the club.

Benteke took his tally for the campaign to 16 goals with his strike in last weekend’s vital victory at survival rivals Reading, with 12 of the goals coming in the Premier League and four in the Capital One Cup.

It is seven goals in the last eight league and cup matches and, with nine matches remaining, he could become the first Villa player since Juan Pablo Angel in 2003-04 to score 20 goals in all competitions in a season for the club.

The 22-year-old powerhouse’s exciting emergence following his £7 million move from Genk last summer has made him the main man in Paul Lambert’s strikeforce and a firm fans’ favourite.

His presence spearheading Villa’s attack is at the expense of Bent, whose attempts to challenge Benteke for a forward starting role have been hindered by a foot injury in recent weeks.

Questions were understandably asked about Bent’s omission midway through the season when the England hopeful was dropped for the first time since his £24 million move from Sunderland.

But Ehiogu admits the agenda has now moved on with the wider football world waking up to Benteke’s qualities rather than pondering why Bent is out of favour.

“Christian Benteke has improved game on game for Villa,” said former central defender Ehiogu, who played 302 times for the club between 1991 and 2001.

“In some respects his form has quelled the noises about Darren Bent because Benteke has done so well and shown so much promise.

“It would be a lot more on an issue if he wasn’t playing so well and improving with every game and I think there’s still a lot more to come from him.

“Next season, once he gets even more of a grasp on things and has a year behind him, then he’ll improve immensely – providing Villa can hold on to him.”

Bent, who is contracted to Villa until the summer of 2015, was retained during the January transfer window, but Ehiogu believes the well-travelled forward’s departure is inevitable sooner rather than later.

“I can’t imagine the Darren Bent situation will be left for too long,” said Ehiogu. “You can’t really have a player of that value and that quality sitting in the stands.

“It would probably make sense for everyone – the player and the club – to move him on.’’